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[color=f7941d][h1]Kalmar[/h1][/color]

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Though the great eye of the storm had been calm, it was a completely different story once she neared the edge. Underneath the black clouds and scarlet lightning, it was a completely different world. The wind howled, the waves were far taller than her, and to be perfectly honest, she was petrified. It was the only way out, but to where? All she could see was the storm and it’s anger. Was there anything on the other side?

[color=ivory]”Okay.”[/color] she said aloud, finding some small comfort in her own voice, [color=ivory]”I have to do this. Father wouldn’t have sent me here just to float forever. Would he?”[/color] she finished softly. But there was doubt in her voice, for what better way to get rid of something that shouldn’t have existed to begin with?

She let out a angry growl, [color=ivory]”No! No No No! I can’t let that drag me down. Not now. Come on, you can do this! Yeah!”[/color] But still she hesitated, uncertain if she was truly willingly to leave the calm waters for the unpredictable. She sighed, there was no other choice. 

So she kicked her feet backwards, and paddled her hands forward, taking the swim into dangerous waters. 

Instantly she was taken by a strong current, and plunged under the water as a wave collided on top of her. In the murky blackness she flailed about, losing her sense of direction until the lightning flashed. She fought against the waves, fought against the very water and kicked her legs. Up up up she went! Breaking the surface of the water and welcomed by the howl of the wind. It seemed to laugh at her, mocking in tone but she pressed forwards. She wouldn’t let the storm win!

Over and over she fought the waves as they collided against her body. It was beginning to take a toll upon her, but a flash of lightning illuminated a great wave to the side of her, and in it she saw the silhouette of something [i]massive[/i], and briefly, she saw a mesmerizing light. It was beautiful, and she wanted to go towards it, but quickly as it came it vanished underneath the waves, leaving her to only fill sheer terror at whatever she had seen. It renewed her vigor, and she pressed on again.

Her squinted with happiness but the smile quickly faded to one of horror as a wave that seemed to touch the very storm grew before her. The wind began to howl even further, laughing it’s horrible mocking laugh. Thinking quickly, she dove down as best she could to try an escape it, and as the wave crashed against her, she could see a light on the horizon before everything went black.

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Arryn soared across Galbar’s vast blue oceans, unused to being so distant from his master. Yet that had been the master’s wish. After Kalmar had returned from his conversation with Parvus, he had sent Arryn to explore Galbar, and to bring back a report of his findings.

Then the falcon noticed a strange object floating in the water, a tiny white speck on a vast sea of blue. Arryn came to a stop, flapping its wings as it hovered in place, and then it began to descend. He realized he was not looking at an object after all, but another creature. Was it dead? No, as he closed in he sensed that it was alive. It needed aid, then?

Unsure of what to do, Arryn decided he would need his master’s opinion. Although the bird was much smaller than her, he was the avatar of a god, and thus had strength well beyond his size. His talons gripped her wrists, he lifted her into the air, and then he began the flight back to Kalgrun.

Meanwhile, Kalmar was at work. He had returned to the parrot that Arryn had devoured. The feathers and bones still remained, so he decided he would get some use out of them. Using a sharp rock, he was filing a bone fragment into an arrowhead, and he had already pocketed a fistful of the feathers to serve as fletchings. This went on for some time, and he made quite a few of the things, only to pause when he sensed his avatar’s presence nearby. Back so soon?

Arryn swooped down and unceremoniously dropped the woman at Kalmar’s feet, before perching himself on a nearby tree to observe. For a moment, Kalmar was surprised. Then, he looked at her curiously. [color=f7941d]”Who are you?”[/color] he asked, continuing to sharpen the bone.

She woke up after seemingly falling on something hard. Weakly, her hand reached out and touched the dirt. Instantly she relaxed as the solid foundation provided her with stability. Something she hadn’t realized was so needed. Before she could even begin to wonder how she ended up where she was, a new voice took her by surprise and all at once her eyes snapped open. There was an extremely bright light, so bright she had to squint, but as her eyes adjusted, a person came into view. She didn’t really know what to think of the being in front of her. 

[color=ivory]”Oh.”[/color] she said aloud, [color=ivory]”Hello.”[/color]

Whatever it was, it looked really weird. 
 
Kalmar stared back at her. He stopped sharpening the fragment, and instead slid it into a pocket. He was sizing her up, assessing the threat that she posed, and there was no warmth in his eyes, but he seemed to be remembering something. Then, he brought his empty hand back up, extended a finger… and poked her in the shoulder. [color=f7941d]”Hello,”[/color] he said with a stern expression. [color=f7941d]”Who created you?”[/color]

She saw something familiar in those eyes of his. Cold, painfully so, and it made her think of her father, and her own eyes grew sad. When he raised his hand and extended his finger towards her, she tensed up, but when nothing came of it besides a strange, warm poke, she became confused. What had that been? 

[color=ivory]”Umm,”[/color] she began softly, [color=ivory]”My father?”[/color] Who else would have created her?

[color=f7941d]”And what is your father’s name?”[/color] Kalmar asked, but he already knew, for while he was sizing her up he had gone through her memories and saw the image of his enemy. The only questions were: did she know, and would she lie?

She looked away from the man, and whispered to herself, [color=ivory]”A name…?”[/color] and said nothing for a moment as she thought. A name, that was what you called someone! Though she had called him father, she had never known that there would be another name to call him by. That was what the man wanted to know.

But then suddenly it dawned upon her, her father had only ever called her daughter. He hadn’t given her a name, before… before she was sent away.

When she looked back at the man, a small black tear fell down her face.

[color=ivory]”I-I don’t know. H-He never told me.”[/color] came her sad voice.

Kalmar shrugged, and then frowned. He looked deeper into her memories, briefly wondering why he had not thought to use such a trick on Hermes. He saw that this stranger had not been given her own name either, and he also saw Orvus’s rejection. Why did Orvus create her only to cast her aside? 

[color=f7941d]”Your father’s name is Orvus,”[/color] he told her. [color=f7941d]”My name is Kalmar. The creature that brought you here is Arryn. As for your name…”[/color] he shrugged again, and then appeared to be deep in thought as he internally threw together random combinations of syllables and sounds, [color=f7941d]”I will call you…”[/color] he frowned, not yet able to think of anything. [color=f7941d]”What do you think you should be called?”[/color]

She perked up when the man began to speak names. So her father was Orvus, such a sad name, she thought. He was Kalmar, but what was Kalmar? And Arryn, that was who brought her here? She would have to thank this creature Arryn. 

Her excitement to hear what she would be called grew as she waited for Kalmar to say it, but when he frowned, so too did her eyes. Instead, he asked her what she should be called, and to that, she had not a clue. She didn’t know names. 

She sighed softly, [color=ivory]”I don’t know any names, well besides three thanks to you. Kalmar. I like that name.”[/color] she said aloud, happily.

[color=f7941d]”I will call you Arya, then.”[/color] Kalmar finally decided, not acknowledging the compliment. [color=f7941d]”Though you may change it if you wish. A name is just a name.”[/color]

Her eyes went wide when he spoke that name. Her name. Arya. It was wonderful, and she couldn’t help but laugh joyfully, forgetting about everything that had happened to her. She had a name!

Slowly she sat up, and hugged Kalmar, squeezing him as tightly as she could manage. [color=ivory]”Oh thank you! Thank you thank you thank you! Arya, I love it! It’s perfect, Kalmar!”[/color] she squealed with delight and did not let go. 

Kalmar looked at her in bewilderment, and then pushed her away - not violently, but firmly enough to let her know that he did not like the sudden physical contact. [color=f7941d]”You’re… welcome?”[/color] he said, confused at her reaction, and there was an awkward silence for a while, until finally he spoke again. [color=f7941d]”Did Orvus teach you nothing of the world?”[/color] he asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

Kalmar’s push did little to upset Arya’s mood, in fact she barely even registered it. She was much too caught up in her own happiness, but his sudden question brought her back to reality. She looked at him with a quizzical look. 

[color=Ivory]”The world? What’s that!”[/color] she asked excitedly. 

Kalmar almost wanted to groan. First Hermes, and now ‘Arya.’ Why did the other gods insist on creating offspring that they did not deem fit to train or educate? It was lazy, it was almost incompetent. [color=f7941d]”The world is called Galbar,”[/color] he told her. [color=f7941d]”It is everything you see around you. The ground, the air, the sea, the sky… this land you are on now, which I named Kalgrun, is only one small piece of it.”[/color] He paused, thinking about his next words, before deciding to press on. [color=f7941d]”Your father would like to see it all destroyed.”[/color]

She soaked in his words like a plant would sunlight, and from this knowledge she began to understand. Galbar, what an equally wonderful name. And Kalgrun! What a beautiful, stable, land. Much unlike the sea. She cocked her head as Kalmar continued, suddenly aware of how serious his tone was.

Why did her father wish to destroy Galbar? That seemed… That seemed wrong, but perhaps he had a good reason too? She had to find out more.

[color=ivory]”I know what that means.”[/color] she whispered, [color=ivory]”No more Galbar. But why Kalmar? Why would my father want to do that?”[/color]

[color=f7941d]”Your father is irrational, and dangerous,”[/color] Kalmar told her, paying close attention to her thoughts. He believed it was important for her to understand that there was no good reason for such vast destruction. [color=f7941d]”He tries to kill what he has no reason to kill, and he rejects what he is supposed to protect. Most do not share his desires. He is not an example to follow,”[/color] he explained to her.

It broke her heart to hear what Kalmar said, and some of it made sense to her. For she had seen him in person, she had seen him act that way. It was complicated. Her father was complicated and she wanted nothing more then help him, to be loved by him, but what Kalmar said was… truthful. How could it not be?

She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, [color=ivory]”What did I do wrong, Kalmar? Why do I exist if he doesn’t want me?”[/color] she asked.

Kalmar’s serious expression broke once again and betrayed another emotion - sympathy. Just as it was unnatural for most parent to endanger its offspring, it was also unnatural for the offspring to contemplate turning against the parent. [color=f7941d]”I do not know why he created you,”[/color] Kalmar admitted, and there was a short pause before he spoke again, his voice hardening with conviction and inspiration. 

[color=f7941d]”But I know why you exist - for the same reason that everything else does. You exist to continue existing. To survive, to overcome, to improve yourself. To exist is to struggle and suffer, but it is also to succeed and prevail. If you continue to exist you win, and if you stop existing then you lose. Your father would have all of us lose.”[/color]

Arya noted how Kalmar’s voice trickled with emotion and for her. It was the most she had seen of Kalmar that didn’t remind her of Orvus’ impassive look, and it made her happy. Kalmar’s words further brightened Arya’s perception and lessened the turmoil within her heart. She felt emboldened with this information, and for the first time, she felt alive. And she would win, to show her father that she wasn’t a mistake. So that maybe, one day, he would love her.

Arya nodded, but a new question came to mind.
[color=ivory]”All of us? Are there...are there others?”[/color] she asked softly.

Kalmar nodded. [color=f7941d]”There are.”[/color] And then he told her what he could. He told her of the Architect, of the gods, of the mortals, and the differences between them. He told her of the gods he had met thus far - Li’Kalla, Phystene, Aelius, Asceal, Ashalla, Parvus, even Shengshi and his avatar. Then he told her of Hermes, the first mortal. He even mentioned a few of the animals he had encountered. [color=f7941d]”And there will be more,”[/color] he promised. [color=f7941d]”This world is still young and empty. It has yet to be filled.”[/color]

Like a child hearing their first story, Arya fully engorged every part of her being in listening, and learning. And all the while fantastical thoughts filled her head as she learned of each god, of the animals and the first mortal, Hermes. And she wondered if she would ever meet any of them and oh, and oh it was so amazing. There was so much, so so much with even more to come. 

She sighed happily when he finished, [color=ivory]”They all sound so... So interesting, Kalmar. I-I don’t even know where to begin. But I can’t wait.”[/color] she finished enthusiastically.  

[color=f7941d]”You begin by learning how to survive,”[/color] Kalmar told her. [color=f7941d]”This world has much to experience, but there is also much danger. I can teach you how to overcome it, and how to avoid it when you can’t.”[/color]

And Arya’s eyes expressed a profound joy as Kalmar offered to teach her. Without waiting, she hugged him again and spoke giddily, [color=ivory]”Oh please! Please teach me!”[/color] And like before, she did not let go.

Kalmar hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly hugged her back.

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[hider=Summary]

Orvus’ daughter contemplated braving the turbulent waters of the Maelstrom outside of the calm waters in the eye. She has no choice but to go, and so she does, letting the waves take her in every which direction.

After seeing a Leviathan Angler, she presses on with renewed vigor but only comes face to face with a wave that seemingly reached the storm. It was that BIG. She tries to dive down, but only manages to get so far before the waves crashes into her, and as she enters unconsciousness, she sees a light on the distant horizon. 

Arryn picks up the Orvus child and flies her straight back to Kalgrun, then literally drops her in front of Kalmar. 

They have a long, talk about everything. WIth many ups and downs, but the one up that outweighs them all, is that she finally gets a name.

Arya.

After Kalmar tells her about the world and its inhabitants, she has no idea where to start, but teacher Kalmar offers to show her the ropes, and she agrees to learn everything she can.

Wholesome.

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[hider=Might Expenditure]

No might spent on anything.
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